Dante's Cove: Sweet Sacrifice
by QAFfan
Summary: Several months have passed since the Shadows were banished. Griffen has gone to spare Grace and their unborn child, knowing that the Tresum Council will want his head. Kevin and Ambrosius have continued their relationship, with Kevin slowly increasing his magical talent. But something is on the horizon, something not good, but will the residents of Dante's Cove be able to survive?
1. Prologue

Prologue

Grace Neville stood atop the highest cliff of Dante's Cove, overlooking the cerulean waters below. The night was dark, but the moon was full, casting a silver light onto the water, the sparkle mesmerizing. As if of its own accord, her hand reached down to stroke her swollen stomach, where the fruit of a passionate night with Griffen grew.

Her eyes followed her hand and the corners of her lips twitched into an almost-smile. "It'll be all right, little one," she whispered, her British accent strong. "It'll be all right." But Grace knew that everything would not be all right, not necessarily. Something was coming, she could sense it. The air crackled as if charged with electricity. Something was coming to Dante's Cove and whatever it was, it was not good. If possible, it would be worse than the Shadows that had invaded the Cove eight months earlier. This time, everything was at stake.

Grace hugged the cowl closer, fighting off the chill from the wind. On a night similar to this one, she'd stood at this exact spot with Griffen and they had said their goodbyes. A tear spilled down her cheek as she recalled it, as she did each and every night, wishing that the outcome could somehow have been different.

When the Shadows had been defeated, they'd been forced back into their prison. As a member of the Tresum Council, Griffen had been obligated to bring it back to them. But when he'd found out that Grace was carrying his child, he'd agreed to leave the council. Unfortunately, leaving the Tresum Council wasn't easy. No one had ever successfully left the council and lived to tell of it.

Griffen had taken the crate containing the Shadows' prison and meeting Grace atop the cliff, had said his goodbyes.

"It's only for a little while," he'd assured her, stroking her cheek lovingly.

"I know," Grace had whispered, kissing the back of his hand. She hadn't known Griffen for long, but in the short time she had known him, she'd grown to love him, much in the same way that she had once loved Ambrosius. Sure, he was arrogant and wily and enjoyed the company of men just as much as he did the company of women, but it was 2009, not 1840, Grace just had to learn to live in modern times.

"The council will come looking for me. If they find me here, they'll kill me. And you, especially when they find out you're carrying my child."

"But where will you go?" Grace had asked, clinging to his hand tightly.

"I can't tell you."

"Please!" The tears had fallen freely and she'd lowered her head shamefully.

"I can't tell you," Griffen had repeated. He'd reached out and wiped one of her tears away. "It's for your own safety. I know you'd never tell them, but they have ways, Grace, ways of pulling the information out of you."

"I know."

"I'm not going to put you through that."

"I understand."

Grace had sniffled and straightened her back, willing control over her emotions. It had been hard enough on Griffen to leave her and their child. She hadn't wanted to make matters worse for him. "Just…be careful," she'd said, hugging her arms.

"You, too." Griffen had cast a look over his shoulder. His back had been tensed as if ready for attack.

"You don't think they're here, now, do you?"

"I don't think so, but you never know. The Tresum Council isn't known for its patience. The minute I didn't report back, they probably started looking for me, and since I was assigned here…"

"This is the first place they'll come looking for you." Grace had nodded her head. "And we can't say you died in the battle with the Shadows, because they'll know, they can sense your power, track you through your medallion."

"Exactly. That's why I need to lead them away." Griffen had reached down and stroked his medallion. It had meant so much to him to receive it. To work for the Tresum council had been a great gift and honor, one that he'd done his best to maintain, but now, Grace and their unborn child had to come first.

Grace had crossed to him and taken both of his hands in hers. "Go," she'd said, imploring. "Now, before it's too late. I'll be fine."

"I know you will." Griffen had smiled that sexy smile of his, the smile that made her heart beat like a drum. No one had done that to her in centuries, no one except Ambrosius had ever done that to her.

They'd leaned it, their lips meeting, caressing each other. Grace moaned as she felt desire shoot through her body. She wanted Griffen badly. He was the only man she'd ever been with, the man who'd taken her virginity. Even though she had no experience, she knew enough to know that he was quite a lover. Her body ached for him, but now was not the time. They'd have time for that later, when they and their child were safe from the vengeful Tresum Council.

Griffen had broken the kiss, and, staring into her blue eyes, backed up to the crate containing the Shadows' prison. Touching it lightly, he'd closed his eyes. A red light, the power of the Sun House, had enveloped him and he'd vanished.

Grace had fallen to her knees, the feelings overwhelming her. She was alone now. Her sister, Diana, with whom she'd never gotten along with but had always loved, was gone, and the man she'd accepted into her heart was gone, too. She had no one. Ambrosius was content with Kevin now, and even though they had worked together to defeat the Shadows, they were far from friends. They'd each done too much to one other for any affection to exist.

Now, Grace cast one last glance back at the waters below and turned back toward the island. She didn't know how long it would be until whatever was coming would arrive, but she had to prepare. She didn't want to be caught unawares again like she had when the Shadows had escaped their prison. If Michelle hadn't had the courage to do what was necessary to end it, they'd all be trapped in the Shadows dark dimension suffering untold torment.

Grace wasn't about to let that happen again. She'd lost too much in her life: her father, her mother, Ambrosius, Diana, and now Griffen. She was done being on the losing side. She would do whatever was necessary to ensure the safety and survival of her offspring.

Setting her chin determinately, she started the trek across the island, back to her home. There was much work to be done.


	2. Chapter One: Whisper

Chapter One

Kevin Archer rolled over and slipped his arm around Ambrosius. Ambrosius Vallin, or Bro as he was more commonly known, moaned quietly and reached up to clasp Kevin's hand, a smile turning the corners of his lips upward. It was so nice being with Kevin, truly paradise. The best part for Bro was that Kevin was with him of his own free will, no more spells or magic. Kevin _wanted_ to be with him. At least, that's what he'd said. Bro couldn't help but wonder if Kevin would still be with him had Toby survived.

"Bro, are you up?" Kevin asked, gently kissing the back of Ambrosius' neck.

"Mmmm. I'm getting there." Ambrosius' voice was heavy with sleep.

Kevin grinned and reached down to caress Bro's chest. Bro rolled over to face him, his eyes aglow with lust. Kevin kissed his chest, his lips caressing the sensitive skin of Ambrosius' nipples.

"Oh, Kevin," Ambrosius gasped, his eyes rolling back into his head. He'd never known pleasure like being like Kevin. After all, Kevin had been the one to free him from Grace's spell.

When Grace had walked in on Ambrosius having sex with Nathanial, his lover at the time, she'd killed Nathanial and chained Ambrosius under the house, damning him to an eternity of solitude. Even as cold-hearted as she'd been, Grace had not been able to totally forsake her love. She'd told Ambrosius that the kiss of a young man would free him. Before she'd left, she'd cast another spell, destroying the beautiful young man he'd been and turning him into a withered, wizened old man.

During his 200 years of imprisonment, Grace's sister Diana had snuck down and taught him the powers of Tresum. By the time he'd been released, in 2006, he'd gathered enough knowledge and power to equal Grace's.

Kevin kissed a slow, tantalizing trail down Ambrosius' chest, stopping just below his belly. Glancing up through his lashes, he met Bro's gaze. His gaze said it all. _Please,_ Ambrosius begged silently. Kevin cocked an eyebrow and reached down to stroke the growing bulge in Ambrosius' boxers.

Kevin moved his hand slowly at first; synching the movement with his kisses, but then his passion grew and he lost patience. _Fuck it, _he thought. He grabbed the waistband of Ambrosius' underwear and gently tugged. Bro raised his pelvis off the bed enough for Kevin to get the underwear off. He threw them across the room and continued his mission. He grasped Ambrosius' erect member in one hand and slid it into his mouth.

Ambrosius arched his back, the pleasure shooting through him like daggers. God, Kevin was skilled! Where had he learned such tricks? Such manipulations? His breath came in short gasps, his heart racing in his chest as he neared his climax. He buried his face in the side of his arm, his breath hot; he twined his free hand through Kevin's blond hair, urging him on.

Kevin moved his head faster, bringing Ambrosius even closer to his climax. He flicked his tongue, causing Bro to quiver with pleasure. He was close, so close. With a loud groan, Ambrosius came, grasping Kevin's hair in a white-knuckled grip. With a satisfied sigh, he fell back against the pillows.

"You….are….a….devil!" Ambrosius gasped, a smile frozen on his lips.

"I'm not done yet," Kevin said, his grin heart-melting. He rolled Ambrosius over onto his back and entering him swiftly.

Kevin moved his hips slowly, relishing the pleasure that rocked him. He loved sex, aside from swimming, it was probably his favorite thing about life. He never felt more alive or more relevant than when he was fucking a guy. Well, not just any guy, it had to be a guy he loved. For almost two years it had been Toby. _Toby_…but now Toby was gone and he was with Ambrosius.

He hadn't intended to fall in love with Bro, but all the time he'd spent with him during his enslavement had softened his heart. But the first time he'd realized that he was in love with Bro had been when the Shadows had been attacking. They'd infected Diana, who'd made her way to Griffen's house. The Shadows, through Trevor, had convinced Kevin that he was powerful enough to destroy them. It had been a ruse to get him out so that he'd use his power, which the Shadows intended to absorb.

He'd been wounded in his battle, Diana using his powers against him. Ambrosius had been the one to come out and save him. When Ambrosius had lifted him up into his arms, he'd realized that even after everything that Ambrosius had put him through, he loved him.

Kevin moved his hips faster. He kissed the nape of Ambrosius' neck, gasping as he felt himself coming. He thrust one final time and then came, falling down onto Ambrosius' back.

"I never get tired of that," Ambrosius said after a few seconds.

"Neither do I." Kevin rolled off of Ambrosius and kissed him tenderly. He smiled. "I love you, Ambrosius."

"I love you, too, Kevin," Bro said meaningfully. "You are the one that I have waited centuries for. We are destined to be together."

"Before I met you, Bro, I never believed in destiny or soul mates, but now I see that it's true. We were meant to be together."

"Oh, Kevin," Ambrosius gasped. "How I've longed to hear you say those words."

"And I'm not even under a spell," Kevin teased, flashing his beautiful white teeth.

"Only the spell of love." Ambrosius met Kevin's grin.

"We'll be together forever."

Ambrosius' smile vanished and his body tensed. Kevin sensed the tension and looked up at him, his brows knit. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Ambrosius lied, shaking his head.

"Bro." Kevin's tone was authoritative. "Tell me."

Ambrosius sighed and sat up. "I am immortal, Kevin, as you well know."

"Yeah… Kevin sat up with him, putting a comforting hand on Bro's knee.

"You're mortal, Kevin. Which means…"

Realization dawned on Kevin. _Oh, my God. _"One day I'll die and leave you….." It hadn't hit him before. He had never intended to be with Ambrosius, after all.

"Yes," Ambrosius confirmed grimly.

Kevin licked his lips. "What about the Sun book?" he asked. "Isn't there a spell you can perform? A spell to make me immortal, too?" _There has to be something!_

Ambrosius shook his head. "I've looked. No such spell exists."

"What about Grace's Moon book? Maybe there's something in there….?"

"I doubt it. Although, now that the books are joined, I can read the whole thing. I'll take a look tomorrow. It's late and you've worn me out."

"How did you become immortal, Bro?" Kevin asked.

Ambrosius frowned. He had no idea how he'd become immortal. He'd always assumed that once Grace's spell had been broken, he'd return to being mortal, but he hadn't aged a day in over two hundred years. He'd have to ask Grace for the truth behind the spell she'd cast on him all those years ago.

"Bro?" Kevin prompted.

Ambrosius exhaled sharply. "My immortality must be part of the spell that Grace cast on me. I thought it would have worn off when the spell was broken, but it hasn't…."

"We'll figure something out," Kevin assured him, putting a comforting arm around Bro's naked shoulders.

"Of course we will." Ambrosius forced cheerfulness into his voice. He kissed Kevin and lay down, rolling over onto his side.

Kevin sighed and lay down beside Ambrosius. "Bro?" he asked.

"Hmmmm?" Ambrosius replied.

"What were you like? Before, I mean."

"You mean, when I was mortal?" _What a question!_ Bro thought.

"Mmm-hmm."

Ambrosius considered the question. He'd always thought that he was a good man in his life. His mother had raised him to be kind and charitable and to think of others before thinking of himself. But if he had been such a good person, why had he used Grace to get control of her Tresum powers? Why had he made her believe that he loved her? Wasn't that the wrong thing to do? Had he deserved what had befallen him?

"I was good…I think," Ambrosius answered finally. "I think I was a good man."

"You _are_ a good man," Kevin assured him.

"I don't feel like a good man. I've done terrible things, Kevin."

"We all have. But you feel bad about them. You wouldn't feel bad if you weren't good."

"Perhaps…."

"What did you want for yourself?"

"What do you mean?" Ambrosius knit his brows in confusion.

"What did you want to do with your life?"

Ambrosius shook his head. "I was wealthy. That was all I was ever going to do with my life. I was going to donate generously to charity and master the powers of Tresum so that I could make a perfect life for myself."

"Did you want to get married? Have kids?"

"I don't know," Ambrosius confessed. "Marriage was not an option for me. Neither was having children. It's not like it is today."

"I know."

Ambrosius stared at this reflection in the mirror before the bed. "I would have liked to have a child," he mused. "A son. To carry on the Vallin name."

"You have that option now," Kevin intimated. "You could adopt. Hell, you could even pay someone to carry it for you."

Ambrosius shook his head. "I don't think that's for me anymore. I'm not the man I once was, Kevin. All the love I once had is gone."

"You have love for me," Kevin reminded him.

Bro shrugged. "Perhaps. What about you? What do you want out of life?"

Kevin chewed his lip. "I've never figure it out, to be honest. All I knew is that I wanted to get the fuck away from my mom and step-dad. I didn't think of much beyond that. "

"Do you want children?"

Kevin stared into Ambrosius' eyes. _Do I? _he wondered. "I've never given it any thought. I mean, before Toby, I was a whore…" He scoffed. "But I think I'd be a good dad."

"Perhaps one day we will have a child," Ambrosius considered. "A boy that is the spitting image of you."

"Yeah, right." Kevin shoved him playfully.

Outside, thunder clapped and rain pelted down from above. "A storm…." Kevin mused, looking across the room to the door.

"The damage from the Libra Solstice is over, Kevin," Ambrosius assured him.

"I know. No more tsunamis or anything. It's just after the last storm…"

"It's over." Ambrosius clasped Kevin's chin in his hand. "It's over," he repeated. "We're safe."

"Of course." Kevin laughed. "Of course it's over."

They lay down and, comfortable in each other's arms, fell asleep.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Kevin and Ambrosius, lightning flashed and illuminated the mirror that stood before their bed. As the light lit up the glass, a shape appeared within. Toby Moraitis stared out at his ex-boyfriend. A second later, Adam, joined him.. They pounded on the glass, but it made no sound. Their mouths spoke, but nothing could be heard. Toby looked at Kevin and yelled his name. Kevin didn't even stir.

* * *

Before the tsunamis that had destroyed half of Dante's Cove nearly a year earlier, the Hotel Dante had stood proud, a beacon to all who visited the island. It had once been Grace's home, but as time had moved on, so had she, turning it into a hotel.

When Grace had returned from cosmic orbit – a gift from her dear sister Diana – she'd discovered that the Hotel Dante, as long as her home on that side of the island had been destroyed. Thankfully, she had a home on the other side of the island and a vast fortune. After the mess with the Shadows, she'd set to work rebuilding the hotel. Well, Grace herself hadn't, but she'd hired Trevor to do it. He'd once told her that in college, he'd built houses. As a bonus, she agreed to let him stay at the hotel free of charge. Now that she was pregnant, she didn't want lodgers in her house anymore. She wanted to be alone. As soon as the hotel was back to its former glory, she'd kicked them all out – Brit, Elena, and Trevor. Toby and Adam had been absorbed by the Shadows, so there were plenty of rooms available.

Once the dust had settled, people had flooded to Dante's Cove. It hadn't taken long for a few people to move into the Hotel Dante.

The sun was shining brightly through the windows, illuminating the kitchen of the Hotel Dante. Brit poured herself a cup of coffee and yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She'd been up late the night before. If the storm hadn't been bad enough, the fight with Elena had destroyed any chance of sleeping peacefully.

Brit sighed and rested her head on her hands. The night that the Shadows had attacked, Michelle, Brit's ex-girlfriend, had killed herself, knowing that the only reason that the Shadows had escaped their prison was because she'd been brought back from the dead by her girlfriend, Van, at the Libra Solstice. Michelle's sacrifice had saved the world, but it had destroyed Brit's. Sure, she loved Elena, but she had loved Michelle more. She hadn't realized it at the time, but she'd had a lot of time to think since the battle and seeing Michelle stab herself had damaged her.

The sound of feet on the hardwood floor caused Brit to raise her head. If it was Elena coming to start round twenty of their ongoing fight, she was going to walk out. She didn't have the strength to go another round with Elena right now. _Please, not again,_ she begged silently. "Elena, if that's you, can we do this later, please?" Brit called, massaging her neck. She could feel a stress headache coming on already.

The footsteps stopped and Valerie poked her head in. The African-American girl was gorgeous. She had luminous almond-shaped eyes and plump, dark lips. Brit felt a sweat break out on her back just looking at her. Valerie had moved in a month before, moving to Dante's Cove from California.

"I _know_ you're not talking to me," Valerie teased, grinning.

"Val, sorry." Brit chuckled. "I thought you were someone else."

"Let me guess, Elena?"

"You got it."

"I heard you guys fighting last night."

"You did?" Brit felt her face flush scarlet. _Shit!_

"Yeah."

"Sorry."

"It's cool, no worries. I wasn't sleeping, or anything."

"Still, you shouldn't have to listen to a pair of lesbians fighting all night."

"Everything all right with you two?" Valerie poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down across from Brit.

Brit sighed. She didn't know Valerie all that well, but she liked the girl. She seemed nice and trustworthy. "Yeah. We're just going through a rough patch right now."

"I hear that. The reason I moved out here is because my girlfriend and I fought _all _the time."

"Girlfriend?" Brit nearly spit her coffee out. _Val's a lesbian? _"I thought you were straight!?"

"I never said that." Valerie met Brit's gaze and shot her a devilish grin.

Elena came into the kitchen and froze in her tracks. Brit tore her gaze away from Valerie and looked up at Elena, whose face was a mask of shock and disgust. "Really, Brit?" Elena demanded, hands on her hips.

"Elena, you're overreacting. Nothing's happening…."

"Just like nothing was happening with Michelle?" Elena challenged.

"I think I'm gonna go," Valerie said, slinking out of the room without so much as a backward glance.

Brit sighed and shook her head. "You're seriously jealous of Valerie?"

"I can't trust you anymore, Brit!" Elena said. "You told me that you loved me and that Michelle was 'just your friend,' and then you tell me that you cheated on me with her. What am I supposed to think? What am I supposed to feel?"

Brit stood and crossed to Elena, putting both hands on her shoulders. "Elena, I'm sorry about that, you know I am. But I loved Michelle. I should have told you, but I didn't want to hurt you." _I never should have told you. Then, we'd be fine._

"You should've thought about that before you went and fucked Michelle." Elena whipped around, hiding the tears that were threatening to fall. She didn't want Brit to see her so vulnerable.

"It was my fault, I know. I have no one but myself to blame, but can't you just give me time to sort this all out?" Brit begged. "I do love you, you know that. I just…" she grasped for words, "need time to figure it all out."

"You have all the time in the world, Brit. I'm going back home."

Brit's jaw dropped. _Elena's leaving!? No!_ "Elena, come on…."

"No. I'm tired of this shit. As if having you cheat on me isn't bad enough, there's all this spooky shit going on here. Fucking shadow monsters, witches, and warlocks…. I nearly died, Brit!"

"I remember," Brit whispered. "I did everything I could to save you."

Elena's face softened, her shoulders sagging. "I'm just not happy here anymore. I understand that this is where your work is and that you can't leave."

"I might…given time." Brit struggled to keep her voice even.

Elena smiled for the first time in months and put a hand on Brit's cheek. "Stay here, Brit. This is where your life is. It was foolish of me to think that I could make a life for myself here. Everything that matters to me is back home." She chewed her lip. "Except for you."

Brit pulled Elena into a tight hug, her shoulders quaking. "Please don't go," she begged.

"I have to," Elena said with finality. "Please understand."

Brit nodded, unable to speak anymore. They stayed in their embrace for a few minutes and then Elena pulled back. "I should probably get going," she said, clearing her throat. "I have my bags all packed and everything."

"Yeah…." Brit stared down at her feet. _I've fucked up once again. Nice one, Brit._

Elena leaned forward and kissed her softly. "I love you," she said.

'I love you, too," Brit replied, blinking away tears.

* * *

Trevor opened the front door of the Hotel Dante. It was that time of month again. Time to collect the rent for Grace. He walked through the lobby and went through into the kitchen. Brit and Elena were embracing. He cleared his throat and knocked on the kitchen door sheepishly. Both women turned to them and he saw the tears in their eyes. "Sorry, I….uh…hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Not at all," Elena assured him, regained her composure almost immediately.

"What's up, Trevor?" Brit pasted a smile on her face.

"Time to collect the rent," Trevor announced, chuckling. He felt like such a kiss-ass being the one that Grace had chosen to run her affairs at the hotel, but he was her eyes and ears on the island, her right-hand man.

"Right, sorry." Brit shook her head. "Let me run up to my room and get you the money."

"Okay."

Brit hurried out of the room, disappearing in a blur of black and blue. Elena reached into the pockets of her jeans. "Here," she said, handing the wad of money over. "There's a little extra in there."

"What for?" Trevor asked, confused.

"Tell Grace to consider it a thank you for helping save me."

"You can tell her yourself," Trevor reminded her. "She doesn't live that far away."

"I'm not going near any freaky shit," Elena said. "I'm done."

"Good luck with that. In case you haven't noticed, Dante's Cove is crawling with freaky shit."

"That's why I'm leaving," Elena confessed, shuffling her feet.

"Leaving?" Trevor stood there aghast, mouth open wide. "Where are you going?" _Are Elena and Brit breaking up?_ Trevor wondered. They'd been so happy…once.

"Back home. I'm needed at work. And I need some space from…." she waved her hand around, "all of this."

"I hear that." Trevor laughed. "It is a bit much."

"Right?" Elena chucked. "I'm gonna miss you, Trevor."

"You, too." Trevor threw his arms around Elena and enveloped her in a giant bear hug, his big, strong arms, squeezing her tightly. "You know, you're all right – for a lesbian."

"Hey!" Elena cried with mock offense. They locked eyes and laughed.

"Stay in touch, will you?" Trevor asked.

"Of course," Elena assured him. "I'm sure I'll be back to collect some antiques of something." She grew quiet for a second. "Will you do me a favor?"

"Sure." Trevor shrugged. "Anything."

Brit paused in the doorway, listening.

"Keep an eye on Brit for me. She hasn't been the same since Michelle…" Elena couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. It hurt too much.

"I'll make sure she's okay," Trevor promised. _It's obvious you still love her, so why are you leaving?_

"Thank you."

"No problem." Trevor eyed her for a second. "What about you? Are you all right?"

"I will be," Elena promised with a smile. She knew it was the truth, it was only a matter of time.

Trevor wished her well and moved on to collect the rent from the other tenants. He went up the stairs to the second story, going down the hallway. He paused at the first door and checked his breath. Satisfied that it was fresh, he knocked, a smile lighting up his face.

The door opened and Parker peered out. When he saw that it was Trevor, he grinned. "Hey, sexy," Parker cooed, pulling Trevor inside. He shut the door and wrapped his arm around him, kissing him passionately. Trevor crushed his lips against Parker's.

They'd met a few months before when Parker had moved to the Cove. Trevor always had been a fool for dark hair and green eyes. When he saw Parker, it was love at first time. They'd been practically inseparable ever since.

When the kiss broke, Trevor traced a finger down Parker's bare, well-muscled chest. "I'm here to collect the rent," he said with mock authority.

"Sorry, I don't have it," Parker teased. "I guess I'll just have to find another way of paying you off." _Yes!_

Trevor laughed as Parker shoved him back onto the bed, ripping at his swimming trunks before he had even settled onto the bed. How had he ever gotten so lucky? "I have to collect the rent," he protested half-heartily.

"You can collect the rent when I'm done with you," Parker growled, pulling Trevor's short downs.

Any further protest was buried as Parker slipped Trevor into his mouth. Trevor's eyes rolled back into his head, his lips tugging into a smile. Parker used his free hand to massage Trevor's stomach, causing goose bumps to rise over the naked flesh.

"Oh, God!" Trevor gasped, arching his back as he neared his orgasm.

Parker rose to lay down beside Trevor, a satisfied smile illuminating his face. "Does that cover the bill?" he teased.

"I'd say so." Trevor chuckled. "That was the best head I've gotten in my life!"

"I've had a lot of practice." Parker curled up in Trevor's arms sighed peacefully.

"I've been there," Trevor conceded. "But I'm glad I found you."

"Me, too."

Trevor kissed the top of Parker's head before getting out of bed. "I need to finish collecting the rent. Are you free later? We could go out for dinner, or stop by H2eau or something."

"Sounds good." Parker cracked his back. "I don't get enough of H2eau when I'm at work." He'd taken a bartending job at the bar; it was close to the hotel and it was really the only place on the island hiring. With Toby and Adam both gone and several of the other employees dead after the Shadows attack, H2eau was badly in need of a staff.

Trevor nodded. "We could go somewhere else if you want."

Parker chewed his lip. "I kind of want to check out the Lair. You in?"

Trevor's face paled. "The Lair?"

"Yeah. I heard it was hot. Lots of sex and drugs."

"I don't do drugs," Trevor said, crossing his well-toned arms over his broad chest. "And I don't go to the Lair." The last time he'd gone to the Lair, Ambrosius had nearly killed him doing some kind of energy-absorbing spell.

"Okay. Hey." Parker went to him and put an arm around him. "If you don't want to go, we won't. We can stay in."

"Sorry." Trevor relaxed. "I just don't like that place."

"So, it's a date, then?" Parker asked hopefully.

"It's a date." Trevor pressed his lips against Parker's one last time. "I'll see you tonight."

"Okay."

Trevor shut the door behind him and went past the empty rooms to the next occupied room. He knocked on the door. He could hear scrambling around inside and then Valerie opened the door. "Oh, Trevor, it's you," she said, putting a relieved hand on her chest.

"Everything okay?" Trevor asked.

"I thought you were Elena coming to beat the shit out of me. She thinks Brit and I are fucking."

"Oh." He raised his eyebrows. _Lesbians..._ He cleared his throat. "I need your share of the rent."

"Oh, right." Valerie went into the little writing desk in her room and pulled out a roll of money. "This should cover it."

"Thanks." Trevor put the roll of money in his pocket and continued on. There were a lot of empty rooms at the hotel since Toby and Adam had gone missing. He'd had his own room, but now that he was with Parker, it didn't make much sense to have two rooms, so they'd moved into one together, which still left quite a few unoccupied.

Trevor went to the end of the hall and knocked on the last door. A dark-haired girl with bright blue eyes opened it. "Hey, Trevor," she said, her high-pitched, girly voice grating.

"Hey, Idina." Idina had recently moved to the island and spent a lot of time on her own. The only time she really left the hotel was to go to work - she was a bartender at H2eau.

"Rent?" she asked, hugging her robe tight. She stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind her.

"Uh, yeah." Trevor shrugged apologetically.

"Not a problem." She handed him the agreed amount and yawned.

"Thanks."

"Anything else?" She licked her lips sensually.

"Nope..." Trevor took an involuntary step back. _What the fuck? Is Idina coming on to me?_

"Fine." Idina sighed dramatically. "Listen, I've got to get ready for work, so..."

"Right. I'll let you go."

Trevor turned and went back down the hall. He was used to women coming on to him, but once they found out he was gay, they stopped. Idina knew that he and Parker were together. Hadn't she gotten the clue yet?

Shaking his head in wonderment, Trevor went down the stairs. Now, to find Grace.

* * *

Kevin shut the door to Ambrosius' house and locked it behind him. When he'd woken up, Bro had been gone. It was still fairly early, but then again, Ambrosius was a man from another time, sleeping until noon was not something he did on a regular basis. Kevin had taken a quick shower and pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a clean white T-shirt before heading out. He was on his way to H2eau, the bar that Ambrosius now owned since the previous owner, Marco had been killed by the Shadows.

The bar wasn't too far from the house. He started walking down the path that served as the road on this side of the island. Now that he and Ambrosius were together as a legitimate couple and he could leave the house whenever he wanted, he needed to start looking for a job. Before the Hotel Dante had been obliterated in the tsunami, Kevin had worked as a handyman. Maybe now that it was back on its feet, so to speak, he could look there. He didn't want to just sit at home day after day like a housewife and live off of Ambrosius. He was his own man.

Kevin decided to stop by the hotel after he went to H2eau. He didn't want to come across as needy or anything, but hanging around the house all day while Ambrosius was at the bar was anything but fun. If Toby or Adam or Van were still around, he could go hang out with them, but his friends were gone. He wasn't really close with Brit or Elena, or even Trevor for that matter. And Grace could barely stand him. The only person he had left was Ambrosius.

The sound of something rustling in the bushes got Kevin's heart hammering. _What the fuck was that!?_ Three years ago, it wouldn't have bothered him, he would have assumed that it was just an animal, but since coming to Dante's Cove and being introduced to witches and warlocks and all types of supernatural phenomenon, he couldn't take his chances.

"Who's there?" he demanded, crouching and picking up a rock.

There was no response. But Kevin didn't relax. His heart continued to beat wildly in his chest, his blood pressure skyrocketing.

"I said, who's there!?" Taking a silent step forward, Kevin raised the rock above his head, ready to strike down on the head of anyone or anything that might jump out of the bushes at him. Licking his lips, he lunged forward and pushed the brush aside.

A cat jumped out of the bushes, a gray blur as it flew by. Kevin's heart leapt out of his chest and he inhaled sharply. _A cat_. It had just been a cat! He laughed, all of the tension draining from his body. _Just a cat!_

The cat rubbed up against his leg, purring loudly.

"What are you doing here, huh, girl?" Kevin asked, picking the cat up into his arms. The cat nestled in and purred louder. It was strange, but something about the cat was familiar, the eyes maybe? They were a deep shade of a dark green, almost brown and they reminded Kevin of someone. _But who? _

The cat reached out a paw and drew his hand on top of her head, rubbing her head on his hand affectionately. The weird thing was, there weren't many wild animals on Dante's Cove, and this cat was obviously not wild, because it was not only letting him pet her, but encouraging him to do so. Had someone who had just recently moved to the island lost their cat?

"Did you lose your owners?" Kevin asked, picking the cat up into his arms. The cat continued to purr and rub on him.

Kevin shrugged and walked with the cat in his arms the rest of the way to H2eau. He didn't know how Ambrosius would take the feline, but he didn't feel right abandoning it like that. Maybe he'd be able to find its owners. They could put up flyers at the bar and around the local shops.

Ambrosius was in his office when Kevin got there. He knocked lightly on the door. "Come on," Bro's voice called, sounding slightly irritated.

"Hey, it's me," Kevin said, opening the door enough to stick his head through.

"Kevin." A smile immediately lit up Bro's face and he rose, making his way to the door. Kevin pushed the door open the rest of the way, revealing the gray cat snuggled in his arms. Ambrosius' eyes flickered to the cat and he paused. "What is this?" he queried, arching an eyebrow.

"I found on her on the way here," Kevin explained, shutting the door. He set the cat down on the floor and she made her way over to Ambrosius, rubbing on his leg.

"Where did she come from?" Ambrosius knelt down and examined the cat.

"She was in the bushes. She must be lost or something."

"Indeed." Ambrosius put an experimental hand on the cat. She purred louder.

"Her owners must be beside themselves. They must've left the door open or something and she snuck out."

"Perhaps." Ambrosius scratched the top of the cat's head.

Kevin couldn't help but smile seeing the softer side of Ambrosius. "Can we keep her?" he asked facetiously.

"There's something odd about her..." Bro mused, brows knit. "There's a sort of energy coming from her..."

"Is she, like, a familiar or something?" Kevin wasn't an expert on witchcraft, but he knew enough to know that every witch was supposed to have a familiar, an animal that helped them channel their powers.

"Tresum witches don't need familiars, that's why we have Aspirants," Ambrosius explained patiently.

"Right." Kevin nodded, pretending to understand. He still didn't quite get Tresum. During his enslavement to Ambrosius, he'd learned enough to steal tiny amounts of Ambrosius' powers at night while he slept, and now he was able to summon fireballs, but other than that, he was still a novice. He'd have to have Bro show him more, now that his curiosity was piqued.

"I think, perhaps, we should keep her," Ambrosius continued, eying the cat suspiciously. "She interests me."

"What about her owners?"

"Someone's got to care for her until they find her. Besides, they mustn't care too much about her if they lost her. She's better off with you."

"Cool!" Kevin grinned and dropped down beside Bro. "Thanks!" He threw his arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"No need to thank, me, Kevin. How could I deny you something that put such a smile on your face?" Ambrosius eyed Kevin lovingly.

Kevin leaned in and brushed his lips against Bro's. A spark of electricity shot through both of them, urging them on. Kevin pulled away and reached down to pet the cat. "What should we call her?" he asked.

"I have no idea," Ambrosius blew air out of his cheeks. "What do you think?"

"How about..." Kevin scratched his chin contemplatively. _Who's someone that means a lot to me? Someone I want to honor? Van! _"Van?"

"Van?" Bro repeated, testing it out. "After your friend?"

"Yeah." The smile on Kevin's face deteriorated and was replaced with a sadness that shone from his eyes like a beacon.

Ambrosius felt his heart tug and put a comforting hand on Kevin's knee. "I think that's a great name," he said.

"Yeah?" Kevin gave him a half-smile. "What do you think, Van?" he asked the cat. Van looked at him, opened her mouth wide and yowled. Kevin blinked. "I take it that's a confirmation..."

Van yowled again, going to stand by the door. She peered back at Kevin and Ambrosius and swished her tail.

"She's probably hungry," Kevin said, getting to his feet. "I'll have to stop at the store and get her some cat food."

"Do you have money?" Ambrosius asked.

"Yeah, it's cool." Kevin waved it off. "Actually, that's why I came over here to talk to you."

"Oh?" Bro grinned devilishly.

"I was thinking of seeing if Grace needed a handyman or anything around the hotel. I need to get a job so I can have my own money."

"You don't _have_ to work," Bro assured him. "I'm content to let you stay home."

"But I don't _want _sit home day after day by myself. I want to get out and do things and have money to take care of myself. I'm not some housewife. I'm not your _boy_."

"As you wish."

"Are you looking for any help around here?" Kevin asked. "Just in case?"

Bro put an arm around Kevin. "We can always use help here, Kevin. If you can't find work anywhere else, I'll find something for you here."

"Thanks!" Kevin gave Ambrosius a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

"Are you coming tonight?" Ambrosius asked. He usually stayed at H2eau until late, keeping an eye on everything.

"I'll be here," Kevin promised. With one last look over his shoulder at Bro, Kevin picked up Van and opened the door. As he was making his way around the pool to the exit, he spotted Grace coming up the stairs. "Hey, Grace," he said lamely.

"Not now, Kevin," Grace shot back, waving a hand in front of his face.

When Van caught sight of Grace, her whole body tensed up and she hissed, teeth bared. Grace started and backed up. "Sorry," Kevin said, holding Van tighter. "She's nervous around new people."

"I'd keep that little fur ball under control, unless you want her skinned," Grace warned, spinning on her heel and continuing on.

Kevin watched her go. "What got into you, Van?" he asked. The cat glared at Grace's retreating form.

* * *

Grace stormed up the path to H2eau. She didn't know why, but Ambrosius had summoned her. It wasn't like him to do that, so her defenses were up. Had the Tresum Council gotten to him? Had they convinced him to trick her into meeting him so they could destroy her and her unborn child? Grace kept an eye out for anything suspicious.

She got to the bar and took a seat, setting her purse on the chair next to her. "What can I get you?" the young woman in the barely-there bikini top asked. Grace frowned trying to remember her name. She was one of the boarders at the Hotel Dante. Bethany? No. Chelsea? No. What was her name!? "I'm sorry, what is your name again?" she asked. At over two hundred years old, her memory was going a little.

"Idina," the girl said, smiling.

"Idina, that's right." Grace blinked. "I'll have, uh..." she scrambled to think. What she really wanted was a nice Mimosa, but in her current condition, that wasn't exactly allowed. "Just a glass of tea, please."

"Okay." Idina walked away to get Grace her drink.

Grace settled back into her chair and pulled her compact out of her purse. She'd performed a glamour spell on herself to hide the pregnancy from everyone. She didn't know who she could and couldn't trust, especially since the Tresum Council could be oh so persuasive.

Idina returned with her tea. "Here you go," she said, setting it down before her.

"Thank you." Grace took a sip and swallowed.

"Anything else I can get you?" Idina asked.

"That will be all, thank you."

Idina nodded and went to take care of another patron. Something about the girl struck Grace as odd. She was nice and all, but something was off there. She'd have to remember to keep an eye on her.

Grace's mind wandered. _Why would Ambrosius call me here? Does he have some benevolent trick up his sleeve? Well, I won't fall for it. I'll be prepared. If the Tresum Council _has _gotten to him, they'll be sorry. I'm not a fool in love anymore, I'm not blind to Ambrosius' treachery!_

Someone sat down in the chair next to her and Grace knew immediately that it was Ambrosius. She had been in love with him once, she knew his movements and his mannerisms. She even knew his scent. "Why did you call me here?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. The hormones were making her even crabbier than normal.

"I have a question for you," Ambrosius replied, sipping the Scotch that was set down before him.

"Well, make it fast. I have things to do."

"Touchy, aren't we?" Ambrosius taunted, a devilish gleam in his eye.

"Please, just get to it. I have a thousand errands to run..."

"The spell you cast on me all those years ago..."

"Yes?"

"Is that was made me immortal?"

"What's the matter, Ambrosius, is immortality getting to be too much for you?" Grace felt a bit of old, evil fire burning inside of her.

"Answer my question. Did the spell you cast on me make me immortal?"

"Of course it did," Grace answered. "I couldn't have you dying while you were chained up down there."

"I knew it!" Ambrosius growled. "But why did I not become mortal again once the spell was lifted?"

"It was a curse, Ambrosius. I cursed you to an eternal life of suffering. Why would you think that it was only temporary?"

"Can you fix it?"

"Your immortality?"

"Yes, make me mortal."

Grace laughed, throwing her head back. "I can't fix it, the spell is irreversible. I'm sorry, Ambrosius, but this is your curse. You should never have broken my heart."

"Is there a spell to make a mortal immortal, then?" Ambrosius asked, his eyes pleading desperately.

"You want to make Kevin immortal?" Grace felt her brows knit. Perhaps she had underestimated just how much Ambrosius truly loved Kevin.

"I don't want him to die," Ambrosius explained simply. "Someday, he will grow old and die and I will left alone, for all of eternity."

Grace felt her heart soften. What had happened between Ambrosius and her had happened over 200 hundred years before. It was time to bury the hatchet. She reached out and clasped his hand. "I know of no such spell," she confessed.

"What about the book? There might be something in there."

"Would you really want to curse Kevin?" Grace asked. "Could you do it? Could you curse someone you love?"

Ambrosius opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Grace nodded in understanding. "I'll check the book tonight when I return home. If I find anything, I will let you know."

She stood to leave, but Ambrosius grabbed her arm, halting her. Grace stiffened. "Thank you," he said, the words genuine.

"You're welcome," she replied, a tight smile lifting the corners of her lips. With a slight nod, Grace left.

* * *

Brit set heavy bag down on the pavement, her arms screaming in protest. _What does Elena have in here? A dead body?_

"Thanks for helping me," Elena said, brushing her bangs out of her eyes with the back of her hand.

"It's the least I can do." Brit waved it off. It was the truth. _I broke Elena's heart. It's my fault that Elena's leaving._ "What time is your bus coming"

Elena checked the time on her cell phone. "Any minute now."

Brit nodded and stood with her hands in her armpits. "So, what are you going to do back home? I thought your employees were running the shop just fine."

"They are, but they need me there."

"Is there anything I can do to convince you to stay?" Brit asked, her piercing blue eyes pleading.

Elena shook her head. "I told you, Brit, this has nothing to do with you. I'm leaving because I can't take the weird shit anymore. Yes, I'm hurt that you cheated on me, but I understand that you're human. To be honest, I forgave you a long time ago for that."

"You did?"

"Yeah."

"Then why have we been fighting for the last eight months?"

"Because..." Elena stared down at her feet. "Because I'm not happy here and you are. I don't want to have to go without you, but it wouldn't be fair of me to ask you to leave with me. Especially when you didn't ask me to stay here with you, I made the choice myself."

"Look, Elena, my life is here now. This place is every oceanographer's dream. I know I've only begun to uncover the mysteries this island holds. Until that's done..."

"I understand." Elena took Brit's hand and held it. "No hard feelings, okay? We're just headed in different directions. It doesn't mean that we don't love each other."

The bus rounded the corner and rolled toward them. Brit felt her throat tighten up. This was it. Elena was going to get on the bus and she'd never see her again. She was losing possibly the best thing in her life.

"Here it is," Elena announced, tugging her backpack onto her back.

"Yeah..." Brit leaned down and picked up the heavy bag. "Hey, what's in here by the way?"

"It's full of antiques that I've picked up here. I can probably sell them for a fortune back home. They go crazy for that tribal island shit."

"Yeah." Brit chuckled. It sounded hollow.

The bus rolled to a stop before them. The doors opened with a hiss and people started to filter off. Elena glanced at them and then turned back to Brit. "Take care of yourself, Brit."

"Yeah, you, too."

Elena smiled and took the bag from Brit's hands. She carried it with ease. She started to walk toward the bus, but stopped. "Can you wait, just for a minute?" she asked the driver.

"Just hurry," he snapped, rolling his eyes.

Elena set her bags down and walked back to Brit. "When you get tired of all this, give me a call," she said, lacing her arms around Brit's waist.

"I will," Brit promised, somehow keeping her voice even.

The driver honked the horn and pointed at his watch. "I guess I should go," Elena said.

"Yeah, guess so..."

"Bye, Brit."

"Bye, Elena."

Elena met Brit's gaze one last time. She leaned in and their lips met, their bodies molding together. How could something that was so good be ending?

Elena pulled away and with one last smile, grabbed her bags and got onto the bus.

Brit watched as Elena took her seat in the back of the bus. As soon as she was seated, the bus pulled away. She stared at Elena through the window until the bus was too far away for her to see anything. Tears clouded her vision and she gasped, losing control of her emotions for the first time in a long time. How could she have let Elena leave? How could she give up on the best thing that had ever happened to her?

Keeping her head lowered so that no one could see her tears, Brit started walking, unsure of where she was going.

* * *

Alex Steven stepped down from the bus, hiking her backpack up onto her shoulder. The sun was startlingly bright, but unfortunately, she didn't have any sunglasses. She'd have to pick some up once she got settled in. She stopped and looked around her, taking in all of the eerily familiar buildings.

Alex had never been to Dante's Cove before, but somehow it was all familiar to her. She'd been dreaming about it for as long as she could remember. When she was young and her adoptive parents had finished their daily abuse – mental, sexual, and physical, it all depended on the day – the images in her dreams of Dante's Cover were a welcome distraction. Even the disturbing ones. Anything was better than her version of reality.

Her short dark brown hair was textured with several uneven layers. Her shaggy bangs hung over her eyes, but not enough to keep the sun out. She wore men's clothes: a black T-shirt, jean jacket, green camouflage pants and work boots. Anyone who passed her would assume that she was a lesbian, which, judging from some of the dreams she'd had about Dante's Cove, was not unfamiliar phenomenon. If only they knew the truth….

Alex kept her head down, her shoulder hunched up. The years of abuse that she'd suffered growing up had left her a social freak. She preferred to be on her own rather than have the company of others. Her secret didn't make matters much worse. When people found that out, they usually fled as fast as they could.

As she walked, Alex passed two women who were standing together talking. She glanced up at them through her bangs, eying them just long enough to form a picture in her mind. The first was a tall brunette with short hair. The other was a beautiful Asian woman, a little shorter than the first. Her black hair was short enough that the tattoos on her neck were visible.

"Take care of yourself, Brit," the Asian woman said, her tone wistful. _Are they breaking up? _Alex wondered.

"You, too," Brit replied.

Alex was curious, but she didn't want to be rude. It wasn't her business. She kept walking, somehow navigating the streets as if she'd been there her whole life. What was it about this place? How could she know so much about it when she'd never been there?

After about fifteen minutes of walking, she came to her destination: the Hotel Dante. As she saw the sign, she felt as if she were coming home after a very long time away. It was surprisingly comforting. Even though it looked different that it had in dreams, she knew that she was in the right place.

Taking one last, long drag of her cigarette, Alex dropped it and ground it out with the heel of her boot. She walked up to the front door of the hotel, pausing. Should she knock? She raised her hand, but lowered it. What was the sense in knocking? It was a hotel. Surely people were welcome to walk in. She took a deep, steadying breath and opened the door.

Immediately, the smell of fresh paint assaulted her nostrils. The owner of the hotel must have done some recent renovations. She continued inside, taking in the soothing, relaxed aura that the hotel gave off. Maybe she'd finally – for the first time in her life – be able to be happy. She'd never felt so calm in her life.

She entered the lobby, which also served as the living room. Both sofas were unoccupied. Where is everyone? she wondered, her footsteps reverberating. She started up the stairs. _Probably as good as place to start as any_, she rationalized.

A beautiful black woman started coming down the stairs, a popsicle in her mouth. All she wore was a tight tank top and a thong. Alex felt herself blushing already. The girl saw Alex and paused.

"Who are you?" she asked, taking the popsicle out of her mouth.

"I'm, um, here about a room," Alex explained, lowering her eyes nervously.

"Oh, cool." The girl's tone lightened. "I'm Val. It's short for Valerie."

"I'm Alex. It's short for….Alex."

"You're funny." Valerie laughed, brushing up against Alex as she walked by. "Listen, I'm not in charge here. You want to talk to Trevor."

"Okay."

"He's not here right now, though. I don't know where he'd be, to be honest. I don't really know him all that well."

"I'll come back," Alex said, slipping her jean jacket off. It was way hotter here on the Cove than it was back home. She'd majorly overdressed.

"Later." Valerie waved her hand, her perfectly manicured nails flashing in the sunlight streaming through the windows. She smiled, and Alex couldn't help but blush again. Valerie was being borderline flirtatious. That was definitely something she wasn't used to.

Outside, Alex folded up her jacket and stuffed it into her suitcase. She lit up another cigarette and inhaled, closing her eyes peacefully.

She heard the door open behind her and slowly turned. _Please don't let it be Valerie, _she prayed. She was relieved to see that it was a beautifully handsome man with black hair and emerald green eyes. He didn't have a shirt on and she couldn't help but take in his six-pack abs, tight chest, and well-toned biceps. Now, if only she were straight….

The guy caught her eye and grin. Alex immediately felt comfortable with him, which was odd. She never felt comfortable with anyone.

"Val said you were looking for Trevor?" he asked, pulling a tight T-shirt over his chest.

"Um, yeah," Alex replied, clearing her throat.

"He's probably down at the beach swimming. If we hurry, we can catch him before he goes to the gym."

"Okay…."

"I'll walk with you. I have to go to work and the beach is on the way," the guy explained.

Alex nodded and fell into step beside him. If she were more socially adept, this is the part where she'd introduce herself and make the silence less awkward. Unfortunately, she was too nervous to take that first step.

The guy suddenly smacked his forehead and Alex jumped, eyes wide. The guy didn't even notice. "Oh, my God! I'm such an idiot!" he exclaimed, laughing. "My name's Parker," he said, holding out hand.

"Alex." She shook his hand.

"So, what brings you to Dante's Cove?" Parker asked.

Alex shrugged. "I don't know, honestly. I was just…kind of drawn here, I guess."

"Right on. Where are you from?"

"Los Angeles."

"I'm from Michigan."

"You're an awfully long way from home," Alex noted.

"Yeah, I came out west to pursue an acting career…that was two years ago."

"I'm sorry." It seemed like the right thing to say.

"Don't be. I decided to come here to take a break and figure out my next step. Then I met Trevor."

"Are you two…dating?" she asked.

"Yeah." A love-struck grin lit up Parker's face, his smile more blinding than the sun. "Just wait until you meet him, you'll love him. He's a great guy."

"Do you think he'll let me rent a room at the hotel?"

"Of course. We have a few going spare. He'll be happy to have another tenant."

"So, Trevor owns the hotel?"

"No. He just runs it. Grace owns the hotel."

Alex stopped in her tracks. "Grace?" she asked. "Grace Neville?"

"Yeah…." Parker eyed her curiously. "You know her?"

"No…I mean, not really."

The truth was, she'd never met Grace Neville before, but she had dreamed of her. There The dream that Alex remembered the most was the one where Grace came home to find her fiancé, Ambrosius Vallin, in bed with another man. Grace had used some kind of witchcraft to kill Ambrosius' lover and then chained Ambrosius up under the house. But it couldn't be the same Grace, could it? The dream had taken place in another time, like, the Victorian era or something.

Alex was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice they were on the beach until the waves were crashing in around her. She started and looked up to Parker, who was staring to into the beautiful blue waters. After a few seconds, a head popped up and a man swam up to shore.

The man – Trevor, presumably – got out of the water, his swimming trunks tight against his legs. "Hey, babe," Trevor said, kissing Parker. "I thought we were meeting up later at H2eau?"

"We are. I just came here to deliver Alex." Parker waved at Alex, who stood there silently.

"Hi." Trevor met her gaze. "I'm Trevor."

"Alex." Alex stared into his bright blue eyes.

"Alex just got to Dante's Cove. She's looking for somewhere to stay," Parker explained.

"There's room at the Hotel Dante," Trevor said.

"I went there to see about a room, but the girl told me to talk to you."

"Well, here I am." Trevor laughed. "Rent is $175 a month."

"I can do that." Alex fished an envelope of money out of the top zipper pocket of her suitcase. She'd known the amount from the moment she decided to come to Dante's Cove, another unexplained mystery.

"Great." Trevor took the envelope and peered inside, counting. When he was satisfied, he met her gaze again. "Welcome to Dante's Cove," he said.

"Thanks." Alex shuffled her feet uncomfortably.

"You looking for work?" Parker asked. "We could use someone at H2eau"

"What's H2eau?" Alex asked.

"It's the local bar."

"Ah. No, I'm not looking for work."

"What do you do?" Trevor asked.

"I'm a writer…kind of."

"A writer, that's cool." Trevor wrapped a towel around his waist. "Look, I'd like to stay and talk, but I have to go get the money to Grace. We're going to H2eau later tonight, you should come. It'd be nice to get to know you."

"Maybe," Alex muttered. Bars weren't really her scene, but Trevor and Parker had been so helpful… "Okay," she said finally.

"Great. See you later." Trevor waved and after kissing Parker, walked along the shoreline.

Parker sighed. "I need to get to work. Do you know how to get back to the hotel?" he asked.

"I'll figure it out," Alex assured him.

"Okay. See you later."

"Later."

Alex watched Parker for a second before she started back toward the hotel.

* * *

Grace parked her car in the driveway. Getting out, she grabbed the bags from the backseat and started toward the door. She put her head down and closed her eyes, concentrating hard. The lock clicked and the door swung open. She didn't see the point in ordinary locks. Ordinary locks could be picked, keys could be copied. But a spell was a little harder to penetrate. Not that Ambrosius couldn't if he wanted to, but why would he? He'd asked her for a favor, after all.

Grace set the bags down on the table and groaned quietly. _Why didn't anyone warn me that pregnancy was so bloody miserable?_ Her back ached, her feet ached, her breasts were tender, she had trouble sleeping at night. On top of all that, her hormones were out of whack. She was just as likely to kill somebody as she was to help them.

Closing her eyes once more, she concentrated and let the glamour fall. Her stomach went from flat to bursting. It wouldn't be long, now. She was eight months into her pregnancy, the baby could come at any time. But hopefully not before she figured out what was coming to Dante's Cove. The last thing she wanted to do was fight a battle with the Tresum Council while defending the life of an infant.

Going into the kitchen, Grace poured herself a glass of water and went into the living room. She went through the house to the back door and slid it open. When the Shadows had attacked her house, they'd done damage to the exterior. Her gardens had been obliterated. With her main source of Starflower – or Saint, as the kids called it – destroyed, Grace had gotten some from the Lair and started growing a private batch in her backyard. The plant was thriving now, thanks to a little bump of Tresum magic.

Grace picked a bud off the plant and went back into the house. Dropping down onto the couch, she set her stone cauldron on top of the coffee table and poured the water in. Throwing the Starflower in, the contents of the bowl started to smoke. Grace inhaled the vapors deeply, awaiting the vision that she always got when she inhaled the smoke of Starflower.

After a few seconds, she peeked an eye open and groaned in defeat. It wasn't going to work. Just like it hadn't worked any other night she'd was she supposed to prepare when she had absolutely no idea what was coming? She couldn't even look to see if the Tresum Council was on its way!

"Damn!" she hissed, knocking the cauldron off of the coffee table, not caring that it would stain the carpet. She had enough money to replace them. She pouted for a few minutes, her arms crossed angrily. Then, her stomach rumbled and she sighed. That was another unpleasant side-effect of her current condition. She was hungry all the time. At this rate, she'd never fit back into her clothes once the baby was born. She'd be a cow. And using a glamour was cheating.

She slowly got to her feet and rubbed her belly. "Are you hungry, little one?" she asked, her anger dissipating. How could she stay angry when she was getting everything she had ever wanted?

Grace went back into the kitchen and rifled through the fridge. There wasn't much to eat in there, seeing as she was constantly eating. She went into the freezer and pulled out a bag of chicken strips. If only they'd had chicken strips back in her time. She'd never have eaten anything else!

Ripping the bag open, Grace put a dozen or so of them on a plate and narrowed her eyes, her lips snarling back. Her eyes burned bright red and the chicken warmed, steam rolling off of them. With a satisfied grin, Grace took a bite of one and went back into the living room.

She was just about to sit down when Trevor came into the room. Grace screamed and instinctively raised her hand to throw an energy ball.

"Whoa!" Trevor cried, putting his hands up in surrender. "It's just me!"

"Trevor!?" Grace lowered her hands to her chest, her heart racing. "What are you doing here at this hour!?"

"I have the rent," Trevor explained, holding the cash out in front of him. His eyes took in Grace's enormous belly, his browns creasing.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Grace demanded, hands on her hips.

"Uh, nothing," Trevor replied, tearing his eyes away from Grace's engorged stomach.

"Trevor!" Grace barked.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Grace, but, uh...are you...pregnant?"

_Damn!_ She'd been so surprised by Trevor's sudden appearance that she'd forgotten to restore the glamour. He could see that she was with child. Her secret was out!

Grace sighed and nodded her head. "Yes, Trevor, I am with child."

"Congratulations...?"

"Thanks."

Grace dropped down onto the couch again, her head in her hands. "Bloody hell," she muttered under her breath.

Trevor took a seat beside her. "If you don't mind me asking, who's the father?"

Grace looked up at him. Was Trevor really that stupid? "Who do you think?" she asked angrily.

"Griff?" Trevor's mouth dropped open.

"Yes," Grace confessed. "Griffen."

"Is that...why he left?"

"No!" Grace smacked Trevor on the arm. How dare he suggest that Griffen had impregnated her and run like the men of this time did? Griffen was an honorable man.

"Why, then?"

Grace took a deep, steadying breath. "Before I tell you, Trevor, you must promise me that you will tell no one what you saw here tonight. It mustn't get out."

"I swear," Trevor promised, raising his right hand, his left going to cover his heart.

"Griffen impregnated me with his child, that long ago night. After we defeated the Shadows, it was expected of him to return the Shadows prison to the Tresum Council. I told him that I was pregnant and he decided to leave the Council. But it's not that simple. The Council doesn't just let you resign. It's like the Mafia of your time. You're lucky to leave with your life.

So, he left, off somewhere to get rid of the Shadows prison and hopefully keep the Tresum Council from coming here to exact there revenge."

"They'd do that?" Trevor asked. "They'd come here looking for him?"

"Of course they would. And when they discovered that I'm pregnant with his child...they'd probably kill me. My baby, too."

"You're not allowed to have children?"

"Not without the Tresum Council's permission. And now that Griffen has gone rogue, they'll consider me and the child rogue as well. Well, I've been rogue for a while now, but I don't want my child punished for my crimes." She blinked back tears.

"I understand." Trevor put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "So, what are you going to do?"

"What can I do? Griffen is sacrificing himself for the life of our child. If the Council comes here to exact revenge, I will do the same."

"But, Grace...you haven't looked pregnant until now," Trevor pointed out.

"A simple glamour. I deemed it necessary."

"Can't you just put a glamour spell on yourself if the Tresum Council _does _come here?" Trevor asked, trying to be helpful.

Grace shook her head. "They'd see through it. The Tresum Council is more powerful that you can imagine, Trevor."

Trevor squeezed her hand. "I know you've got a lot at stake here, Grace, but you can trust me."

Grace met Trevor's gaze and smiled. "Thank you, Trevor. That's quite comforting."

"I won't tell anyone that you're pregnant. And if the Tresum Council comes here, I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

Grace blinked in surprise. Had Trevor just offered to lay down his life for her? "Thank you," she repeated, too shocked to think of anything else to say.

"You're welcome." Trevor put his arms around her and held her in a tight embrace. Grace wasn't used to such signs of affection, she surely hadn't gotten them from her mother, and the affection that Ambrosius had shown her had all been false...but in her current condition, she didn't have the strength to fight in her.

* * *

The crowd at H2eau was massive. Kevin couldn't remember the last time he'd seen so many people packed into the beach-side bar. Who would have thought that so much good could come out of so much death and destruction?

He wove through the crowd, his eyes peeled for Bro. He'd been there for fifteen minutes already and had yet to spot his boyfriend. That was impressive.

The live band – Kevin couldn't remember what they were called – was good. Although he wasn't familiar with any of their music, Kevin couldn't resist swaying a bit to the music as he searched for Ambrosius. _Maybe he's in his office?_ Kevin guessed. Changing direction, he fought against the tide of dancing bodies to Bro's office. It was as good a place to look as any.

Kevin emerged from the sea of moving bodies unscathed, and opened the door to Ambrosius' office. He peeked in and frowned. The light was off. Bro wasn't in there. He shut the door behind him and chewed his lip. Where could Bro be, then? He took a step toward the bar and paused. Maybe Bro had decided to go home early.

Kevin was shocked out of his reverie by a sudden hand around his chest. His heart leapt into his throat and he twisted out of the person's arms, hand raised to summon a fireball. He locked eyes with the assailant and frowned. It was Ambrosius. _Who else would it be?_

"Whoa, Kevin, relax," Bro teased. His lips pulling back to reveal his white, even teeth.

"Sorry, Bro." Kevin lowered his arm sheepishly. He had to stop being so jumpy. Not everything on Dante's Cove was bad. Now that the Shadows were gone, maybe the bad things were gone, too. Maybe now he could have the normal life that he'd once had….except for the part where his boyfriend was a warlock and he was a warlock in training.

"Jumpy?" Bro asked, slipping his arm around Kevin's shoulders soothingly.

"A little." Kevin shook his head. What would he have done if he wouldn't have been able to stop himself from throwing the fireball? He could've seriously hurt Bro. Or someone else.

"Don't be, you're safe." Bro kissed the sensitive skin under Kevin's chin and he felt himself relaxing even more.

"I won't." He leaned his head back, giving Ambrosius more room to kiss. It felt so good, he didn't care that they were in public.

Bro paused his gentle caresses and led Kevin over to one of the tables. Luckily, it was unoccupied as everyone was either ordering drinks at the bar or dancing. "How is Van settling in?" he asked, folding his hands properly on the tabletop.

Kevin blinked. "Oh, yeah, that's something I wanted to tell you."

"Yes?"

"She won't eat cat food," Kevin explained.

"Won't she?"

"No. I bought her some and opened up a can. She sniffed it and walked away. But later when I was eating, she jumped right up on the table and got into my food. She got more of it than I did!"

Bro laughed. "That's amusing. A cat that won't eat cat food, but will eat human food."

"It is pretty funny." Kevin giggled. "It's just weird. I've never heard of a cat who does that before. I mean, growing up, I had a cat that liked human food, but she'd eat cat food, too. This is bizarre."

"Perhaps there's more to Van than meets the eye," Bro suggested enigmatically.

"What are you saying?" Kevin asked. "That Van is some kind of supernatural creature?" The idea was preposterous. Even to him. Van was just an extremely fussy, unique cat. There was nothing wrong with that.

"Not quite." He glanced around him to make sure that no one was listening. Kevin leaned in close. "I once heard of a witch who turned herself into a cat to avoid execution. The spell worked and she escaped, but there was one problem."

"What's that?" Kevin asked, not quite believing in. People turning themselves into cats? Yeah, right.

"The spell to turn her back into a human needs to be spoken, that's one thing the witch didn't factor in. Unable to speak, she was forced to live out the rest of her life in the body of a cat."

"You don't really expect to believe that, do you?" Kevin asked, one eyebrow cocked.

"It could just be an ancient Tresum myth, but I doubt it." Ambrosius sipped his Scotch. "Diana told me the story. I don't think she would have made it up."

"Diana."

Diana Childs had been Grace's younger sister. She'd been the complete opposite of Grace: warm, caring, and gentle. She'd made it her mission to save Tresum from the evilness of her sister. Unfortunately for Diana, the Shadows had staked her out as their next host and once they'd vacated Michelle's body, they'd jumped into Diana's. When Michelle had killed herself, restoring balance to the world, the Shadows – along with Diana – had been sucked into the chest that served as their prison.

Kevin mulled that over for a second. He hadn't known Diana all that well, or at all, really, but to hear Ambrosius speak of her, she had sounded like a wonderful person. If she hadn't been lying, could it be possible that the cat he'd stumbled upon that morning wasn't in fact a cat, but a person? A Tresum witch, no less? He had learned in the last three years that anything was possible….

"Do you think we should perform the reversal spell on Van just to be sure?" Kevin asked.

Ambrosius shook his head. "That would be impossible, Kevin. The spell was lost centuries ago. It was lost when I was still mortal. I'm afraid that by now, it's long gone. It was probably destroyed long ago."

"What if we did a locater spell?" Kevin suggested. "Couldn't that tell us if it was still around or not?"

"It could," Ambrosius conceded. "But even if we did perform the spell, that doesn't mean it will work. There's something in the air, Kevin, something strong. It's affecting my magic."

"Something in the air?" Kevin asked, his muscles tightening. Not another apocalypse. This was real life, not _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ or _Charmed._

"I don't know what it is yet." Bro exhaled sharply. "I can sense it, taste it on the air, can't you?"

Kevin shook his head. He wasn't nearly as attuned to the Tresum magic as Ambrosius was. With the exception of throwing fireballs, there wasn't much else he could do. If there was some big bad force coming to Dante's Cove, he would have to start studying Tresum if he wanted a fighting chance at surviving.

"Perhaps Grace will have some idea," Ambrosius muttered. "I'll have to ask her if she can sense it, too."

"Look, Bro, if there _is _some dark, malevolent force coming to the Cove, I need to continue my studies. I want to be able to help out. Something tells me fireballs won't be enough to defeat them."

Ambrosius swallowed the Scotch, groaning as it burned on its way down. "If there is some dark malevolent force coming to the Cove, Kevin, then I want you to leave."

"What?" Kevin couldn't believe what he was hearing. Leave? How could he leave Bro?

"I don't want to lose you," Bro continued. "And if it's what I think it is…."

"What do you think it is?"

"The Tresum Council."

"Fuck."

"Yeah."

Kevin had heard enough about the Tresum Council to know that if they ever came to Dante's Cove, they'd all be knee-deep in shit. The witches and warlocks of Dante's Cove were considered renegade; they didn't follow the Council's rules and did as they pleased.

"But they wouldn't be after you, right?" Kevin asked. He could feel tears stinging the backs of his eyes. It wasn't like him to be so emotional, but the thought of losing Bro was too much.

"Anything is possible," Bro confessed. "Chances are, they'd come after Grace and I. That mercurial _Griff_," he said the name as if it was poison, "probably ran back to his masters and told them all about us."

Griffen had been sent by the Tresum Council to Dante's Cove to fix the damage that the Libra Solstice had caused. He'd stolen Diana's powers, knowing that the tsunamis that had struck the island were a result of the spells she had been casting to repair the damage done by Van resurrecting Michelle. He'd decided to stay in the Cove, wooing Grace and teaching Ambrosius how to take energy from other people.

"But if he did tell them everything, then they already know about me. I'm not safe even if I do leave," Kevin pointed out.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take."

"I'm not leaving you," Kevin said with finality. "If you're staying, I'm staying."

"Kevin…" he began.

"No. We're in this together."

Ambrosius sighed. Kevin was stubborn and willful, his pride strong. It would be nearly impossible to convince him to leave. Ambrosius would normally perform a spell on him to make him do his bidding, but when she'd still been alive Van had done a spell to protect Kevin from Bro's magic. He'd have to figure something out.

Kevin took Ambrosius' hand in his and squeezed in. "We're in this together," he repeated, his brown eyes staring deeply into Bro's. Bro smiled and pulled Kevin into a kiss. It never ceased to amaze him that Kevin was willingly with him. He couldn't help but remember the times when he'd had to use magic to get Kevin to be with him. It was nice.

Kevin ran a hand through his sandy-blond hair. "Did you talk to Grace about the spell?" he asked, folding his arms on the table.

"What spell?" Ambrosius asked, momentarily stunned by Kevin's beauty.

"The spell to make me immortal," Kevin explained.

"Oh, that." Bro clenched his jaw. He wasn't going to curse Kevin. There was no way. If worse came to worst, he'd find a way to make himself mortal. Anything was better than cursing Kevin.

"So, did you?" Kevin pressed.

"We discussed it briefly."

"And?"

"Grace is not aware of any such spell."

"Oh." Kevin's shoulders fell with disappointment. "What about the spell she put on you? Would that work."

"No!" Ambrosius exclaimed a little to angrily. Kevin pulled back, hurt. Bro sighed. "Look, Kevin, the only way to make you immortal would be to curse you, and I am not going to do that you."

"But I want you to." Kevin was practically begging him.

"I can't subject you to that," Bro explained. "Being immortal isn't all that it's cut out to be."

"So, what? You're just going to let me die!?" Kevin challenged.

"We'll figure something out," Bro promised, kissing Kevin's hand. "I just need time."

"Nor do I," Bro assured him. "I would rather die that live a day without you, Kevin."

"So, we'll figure something out."

"I promise."

Resting their heads on the other's shoulder, Kevin and Ambrosius listened to the band, watching as the people of Dante's Cove enjoyed themselves.

* * *

Alex watched from across the bar as Ambrosius Vallin and the handsome blond guy talked quietly. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could tell by their body language that it was serious. Something was troubling them.

She knit her brows. Why did she know who Ambrosius Vallin was? And how was he still alive? It was nearly 200 hundred years after he had reportedly died. What was going on at Dante's Cove?

Alex tore her gaze away from the couple and spotted Trevor and Parker over by the bar. Maybe she could press them for information? Ambrosius was the owner of H2eau. Someone had to know _something_ about him. Who better than one of his employees?

Lighting up a cigarette, she made her way over to Trevor and Parker. Trevor was leaning on the counter, whispering clandestinely into Parker's ear. Parker was laughing, the sound loud and joyful. _It must be nice to be in love with someone,_ Alex reckoned, _to have someone who loves you and accepts you for who you are. _She'd never had that. All of her life people had ridiculed her and abused her. She'd never known love, not even once. To be honest, she was kind of jealous seeing so many happy couples around her.

Parker caught Alex's eye and waved her over. "Hey!" he called, his arms waving excitedly. Alex cast her glance down and couldn't help but smile. She wasn't used to people being nice to her. But Parker and Trevor seemed like their kindness was genuine. She felt like she could really trust them. Maybe she'd finally found the friends she'd searched for all of her life.

"Hey," Alex said, waving lamely.

"Alex!" Trevor grinned. "I thought you'd skipped out on us."

"No. I was just, uh…testing the waters."

"Well, I'm glad you came."

"Me, too." She exhaled the cigarette smoke, turning her head so it wouldn't blow in Trevor and Parker's faces.

Alex rocked on her feet. "Hey, um, do you guys know that guy over there?" She nodded across the club to the table where Bro and Kevin sat. Trevor followed her gaze and squinted to see who she was gesturing at.

"Bro?" he asked, confused. He thought that Alex was a lesbian. What would she want with Bro?

_Bro?_ Alex wondered. Could Bro and Ambrosius be the same person. "His name's Bro?" she questioned.

"Yeah," Trevor replied.

"Bro? Not Ambrosius?"

"Ambrosius, yeah. His name is Ambrosius," Trevor corrected himself. "But he goes by Bro."

"Bro."

"Yeah."

"Does he have a last name?"

"I don't remember him ever saying, but he has to have one, right? I mean, who doesn't have a last name?"

"Yeah."

"Right?"

"What's he like?"

Trevor chewed that one over for a second. He couldn't exactly tell Alex about the weird things he'd seen that night when the Shadows had taken over the island. She wouldn't believe him. Hell, he didn't believe it and he'd actually been there and seen most of it.

"He's….all right," Trevor lied. The truth was, he didn't exactly like Bro. Not after he'd attacked him at the Lair and done whatever the fuck he'd done to him. Now, he avoided Bro as much as possible. He got a weird vibe from the guy.

"Is he from around here?" Alex asked.

"I don't know. He doesn't really talk about his family. He doesn't really talk at all, really."

"Of course he doesn't. Why would he?" Alex murmured under his breath.

Trevor leaned in. "Hey, um, are you, like, studying him or something?"

"Studying him?"

"You said you were a writer, I thought…"

"I'm writing about the history of Dante's Cove," Alex lied, surprised by how easy the lie had come to her. She usually wasn't so good at coming up with things on the spot like that. Maybe Dante's Cove was agreeing with her, after all. "I did some research before I came here and there was a man by the name of Ambrosius Vallin who died in 1840 who looked _exactly_ like this guy, Bro."

"Must be his grandfather or something," Trevor considered.

"It's possible. But like I said, they look identical."

"Maybe you should ask him."

"Yeah, maybe."

Alex turned her gaze back to Ambrosius and the blond guy, except they were gone. _Shit!_ She looked around furiously, trying to find them. How could she have let them out of her sight? Who knew if she'd get the opportunity to speak to him again? Then her memory came flooding back. Ambrosius owned the bar, he'd be back. He wasn't going to just abandon it like that, especially when he had no reason to. She had plenty of time to get her chance to talk to him.

"You okay, Alex?" Trevor asked, handing her a beer.

"Huh? Yeah." Alex nodded. "I'm fine. Thanks." She took a sip of the beer, not even tasting it. She'd have to remember to keep Ambrosius in her sight next time. She just hoped that there would actually _be_ a next time. If she made a pest of herself, Bro could have her removed from the establishment, or more severely, from life. She'd seen in one of her dreams how he'd killed those two little children: a boy and a girl. They'd been consumed by flames that were somehow being generated from Ambrosius.

She shivered, despite the sweat that had suddenly broken out on her back. Just the thought of it was enough to kill her. She couldn't imagine being burned alive. She imagined that it was the most painful way to die imaginable. So, whatever she did, she'd have to be careful not to piss Ambrosius off. She'd have to tread carefully if she wanted to leave Dante's Cove again alive.

* * *

Brit sat alone in her room at the Hotel Dante. She sat on her bed, her legs folded under her. Before her on the bed, a photo album lay open. The pictures were of her with Elena when they'd both been happy. Back before Michelle had returned and shit had gone all to hell. What she wouldn't give to go back to that time. What she wouldn't give to have the chance to do it all over again. She'd do it differently. She would.

Brit wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye and slammed her fist down on the bed angrily. _How can you even be considering this?_ she wondered. _You're a scientist! This goes against everything you know and everything you believe. It's insane._

But the truth was, it might just be insane enough to work. She had to get Elena back. She'd made the biggest mistake of her life cheating on Elena with Michelle. She loved Elena, not Michelle. How could she have been such an idiot? How could she have given in to lust like a hormonal teenager? How could she have let Elena get on that bus and go back to her old life? Without her?

Brit got up and pulled on a light jacket. It sometimes got a little chilly at night on Dante's Cove. She tiptoed down the hall, not wanting to alert anyone who might be home that she was leaving. She might be followed, and she couldn't have that. She was having enough trouble convincing herself to do it.

The stairs were easy. They'd had a creak before, but once the hotel had been rebuilt, everything was brand new. For the first time in her life, Brit was thankful for the that had taken so much from all of them: their home, their friend – well, Van hadn't exactly been her friend, but still – and countless priceless possessions.

Once outside, Brit got into her beat-up old truck and turned the key in the ignition. The engine turned over immediately and she backed up out of her parking spot and followed the looped driveway out onto the road.

She'd only been to Grace's house on this side of the island once or twice, but it couldn't be too hard. Grace was the richest person on Dante's Cove, surely her house wouldn't be hard to miss. It wasn't like the island was that big. There were only so many places it could be.

Brit followed the main road for about ten minutes and then, looking off into her surroundings, she saw a tall house with a marble façade. _That's gotta be it, _Brit thought, pulling into the driveway.

The driveway was long, but Brit knew that she was in the right place. The only other person on the island with nearly as much money as Grace was Ambrosius, and she knew where he lived. Only Grace would build such a decadent home when she already had an opulent one on the other side of the island. Sometimes Brit couldn't help but scoff at Grace's arrogance.

She followed the driveway up to the house and then killed the engine. Her headlights shut off, immersing her in near blackness. A light shone from inside the house. Grace was probably up casting a spell or whatever Tresum witches did at midnight. _Be nice,_ Brit warned herself. _You're asking her to do you a favor. You're going to have to appeal to her ego._

Brit got out of the truck and made her way up to the front door. Before knocking, she took a deep, calming breath. _You can do this. You _need_ to do this!_ Before she could change her mind or talk herself out of it, Brit raised her hand and knocked on the door.

"Bloody hell!" Grace's voice cried from inside the house. It was muffled, but still loud and clear enough for Brit to make it out.

Brit took a step back. She was making a mistake. She'd been the one to fuck things up. She deserved what she got. Who was she to think that she deserved Elena?

She turned to leave, but the door was ripped open and Grace poked her head out, her eyes wild with anger. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"Oh, hi, Grace," Brit said lamely, tucking her hands into her back pockets.

"You?" Grace's face scrunched up in confusion. Obviously she couldn't remember Brit's name.

"Brit," Brit gently reminded her. She didn't want to piss Grace off.

"Whatever." Grace waved it off angrily. "What do you want?"

"I….wanted to ask you a favor." Brit had to force the words out. This was wrong. It was so, so wrong..

"At midnight? It couldn't have waited until a more civilized hour?"

"You're right, I'm sorry."

Brit turned and started walking away. _Idiot!_ she reprimanded herself. What had she been thinking? Grace was a selfish bitch. She wasn't going to help anyone but herself. The only reason that Grace had fought to save Dante's Cove when the Shadows attacked was because her own life was in danger. If it hadn't been, she would have sat back and watched as the human population on the island was wiped out.

"Brit, wait." Grace sighed, wrapping her arms around herself.

Brit stopped and turned back around to face Grace. Was Grace feeling bad or something?

"Do you want to come in?" Grace asked, holding the door open wide. "It's kind of chilly out here."

"Sure." Brit tentatively followed Grace into the house, forcing herself not to gawk at the expensive décor like an idiot. Normally, Brit was impressed with fancy things, but somehow Grace's collection of expensive furniture and knickknacks was enough to snag her interest.

"Tea?" Grace sat down in the living room, pouring herself a cup of tea.

"No, thank you." Brit sat down across from her. "Look, I'm sorry to stop by so late. You were probably sleeping…or whatever."

"I wish," Grace said, rubbing her stomach idly. The truth was, she hadn't been sleeping regularly since Griffen had left. The condition had worsened as the pregnancy progressed.

"Everything okay?"

"I just haven't been getting much sleep lately."

"I'm sorry." Brit wasn't really sure what to say to a 200 year old witch with insomnia. Though, she did find it oddly comforting that even supernatural beings suffered the same ailments as mortals. Maybe they weren't that different after all….

Grace shook her head. "We're not here to discuss me. You wanted to ask me a favor."

"Yes…."

"Well, here I am. Ask away."

"Okay…."

Brit cleared her throat and tried to form her scattered thoughts into words. "Elena left today," she said finally."

"Oh?" Grace frowned.

"I uh, told her about sleeping with Michelle. She couldn't take it. I broke her heart."

"I would imagine so. Her girlfriend cheated on her with an agent of the House of Shadows. Not exactly something to make her feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

"I guess."

"So, what? You want me to do a little spell to make her unable to stop thinking about you until she comes back? Or stop her from leaving the island?" She scoffed. Why were mortals always asking her for ridiculous favors?

Brit shook her head. "No, she already left. And I don't want her to be with me because of some voodoo spell. I want her to be with me because she loves me. Of her own free will."

"So what do you suggest?" Grace asked, crossing her legs as she sipped her tea.

"I…." Brit paused, chewing her lip. _This is insane,_ she thought. _There's no way this is going to work._

"You…?"

"I know that this is completely insane. I shouldn't even be here. I don't even believe in magic!" She turned her back to Grace, too embarrassed to face her. "I want you to erase it from her memory. Make it so that I never told her."

Grace's eyes widened in shock.

* * *

Kevin and Ambrosius lay in bed, kissing. Their clothes were a scattered mess on the floor. They'd left H2eau early, wanting to spend the night together at home. Ambrosius trusted his staff enough to run the place without him, for a few hours, at least. Besides, Kevin was more important than a business that quite frankly, he didn't care about. He'd only taken over after the previous owner, Hector Leveaux, had been killed.

After the tsunamis, H2eau had suffered major structural damage. Hector, determined to repair it and open it back up for business, had been desperate for money. H2eau didn't bring in that much, after all. After asking a few people on the island who'd turned him down, he'd approached Ambrosius. At first, Bro had declined, but the more he thought about it, the more he grew to like the idea. By bailing Hector out, he was, in a way, buying into the business. He had plenty of money, thanks to the family jewels that his mother had buried for him, but in the modern world, things were more expensive and money didn't last as long as it had in his time. Besides, he wanted a nice place to bring Kevin and show him off.

Kevin was leaning over Bro, his hand on Bro's warm cheek. Ambrosius was so different that Toby. He wasn't as warm or as grounded as Toby had been, but he was still loving and although he had a dark side, he wasn't afraid to show his soft side, around Kevin, at least.

Kevin pulled back. "Are you up for it tonight?" he asked, his voice heavy with lust. For some reason, he just couldn't get enough of sex with Bro. He and Toby hadn't had as much sex and he and Bro had. But sex wasn't the only thing they had together. There was a deep, genuine affection. They both loved each other.

"I believe I'm up," Bro replied, a wicked grin on his face. He took Kevin's hand and guided it down, placing it on his hard cock.

"Feels like it." Kevin laughed. Obviously Ambrosius couldn't get enough of him, either. That was a good sign.

He rolled Ambrosius over onto his back, kissing a trail down his spine. Bro moaned quietly, his eyes closed. Kevin stopped at the base of Bro's spine. "Ready?" he asked, positioning himself so that he had easy entry.

Ambrosius cracked an eye open and rolled over onto his stomach. "Actually, Kevin, I had something else in mind for tonight," he said.

"Something else?" Kevin asked. He could just imagine the kinky shit that Bro was concocting in his head. He'd spent two hundred years chained up in a dungeon, after all. _What the hell?_ he figured. There was nothing wrong with fucking outside the box. At least it kept things fresh and interesting.

"Mm-hmm."

"Like what?"

Ambrosius sat up and eased Kevin back down onto the bed. Kevin stared up at him, brows knit. They'd done it the same every night. What could Bro have in mind? "I want to penetrate you tonight," Ambrosius said, his eyes piercing.

"Oh." Kevin averted his gaze. He'd had a lot of sex in his life. Hell, he'd even been a pseudo-prostitute for a while after high school, but not once, never had he let any man penetrate him. He'd been saving it for someone he loved. Then Toby had come along. One night, a year and a half before, he'd let Toby top him, because he'd loved Toby so much, and there was nothing he wouldn't do for him.

Now, Ambrosius, Bro, was asking him to give it up again. The truth was, he loved Bro. Perhaps more than he had loved Toby. He couldn't explain it, but he felt like he belonged with Bro, that they were made for each other. It was weird and completely insane, but that's how he felt.

"Is there something wrong?" Bro asked, stroking Kevin's cheek lovingly.

"Not…really," Kevin replied.

"What is it, Kevin? Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Kevin sighed. "I'd done some things I'm not proud of in my life, Bro," he began.

"As have I."

"I've…." He stopped. Could he really tell Bro that he'd had sex for money? Would that change how Bro felt about him? _You have to tell him,_ Kevin decided. _If he really loves you, it won't matter._ "I've had a lot of partners in my life."

"I can tell. You're very…skilled." Bro's eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Some of them….paid for me." Kevin felt his cheeks flaming and he stared down at his hands, unable to meet Bro's eyes.

"Hey." Bro's voice was soft, loving. He put his hand under Kevin's chin and slowly raised it so that their gazes met. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, Kevin. I have killed people. Accidentally, on purpose, it doesn't matter in the end. If anyone has a reason to be ashamed, it's me."

Kevin saw the sadness and regret in Bro's eyes and rubbed his shoulder. "No matter how many partners I had, I never let them….do _that_," he continued.

"Ah." Ambrosius nodded in understanding.

"Except for Toby."

"Toby," Bro whispered. Kevin detected hurt in Bro's voice. Even though they were together now, Bro still feared that the only reason that Kevin was with him was because Toby was gone, trapped in the dark dimension of the House of Shadows.

"I promised myself that I would only let someone I really loved do that."

"I see."

Ambrosius sat up and stared at the wall. The truth was out. Kevin didn't love him. At least, not as much as he had Toby. Ambrosius felt tears forming behind his eyes, the sting almost unbearable. How could he have been such a fool?

"Bro!" Kevin grabbed his shoulders and steered him back down. "You didn't let me finish."

"I don't think there's anything more to say," Bro choked out. "I understand. It was something you shared with Toby. And you loved him…"

"No. I want you do to it."

Ambrosius' heart stopped beating. Had he heard Kevin correctly? Kevin wanted him to….to…penetrate him?

"Really?" he asked, the tears blurring his vision.

"Yeah," Kevin replied. He had tears in his eyes as well.

"Oh, Kevin," Bro held him tightly, never wanting to let him go.

"I love you, Bro."

"I love you, too."

"I loved Toby, but I-I love you more." It didn't make sense to Kevin, but it just felt so…right. How could he resist?

Ambrosius couldn't help but grin. Kevin loved him more than Toby!

"Really?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Really."

Without another word, Kevin pulled Ambrosius' face to his. Their lips met and he surrendered himself. Their kisses were passionate, equally full of love and lust. This was a breakthrough in their relationship. Now, there was nothing that could rip them apart. They were bound together for eternity.

Ambrosius positioned himself on top of Kevin, Kevin's legs resting up on his shoulders. "Are you ready?" Bro asked, his body aching to be one with Kevin's in a way that it never had before.

Kevin nodded. "Just…go slow, okay?" He sounded like a lost little boy. Ambrosius felt a new affection for Kevin. He was so innocent.

"Okay."

Bro leaned down to kiss Kevin again and after a second of two, he slipped inside. Kevin groaned, biting his lip. "Are you okay?" Bro asked, stopping his movement. He was hurting Kevin, and that was not what he wanted. This was supposed to be a pleasurable experience, not a painful one. If Kevin was hurt, then he would not continue.

"Yeah," Kevin replied, his voice tight. "It just…hurts a little more than I remember." He clasped the sheets in a white knuckled grip.

"We can stop if it's hurting you, too much."

"No." Kevin put his hand on the small of Bro's back, urging him on. "I want to do this."

Bro smiled and moved deeper inside Kevin. He kept a close watch on Kevin's face, looking for the smallest hint that he was hurting him, that he was too deep. But after a minute or two, Kevin's face relaxed and he started to moan, not in pain, but in pleasure. It had been so long since Ambrosius had first been penetrated that he'd forgotten how much it could hurt the first time.

Their bodies molded together, their breath coming in short gasps. Kevin held on to Bro tightly, his eyes closed as pleasure shot through his center. It felt better than he remembered. If he did it more often, maybe it wouldn't hurt as much for the first minute or so.

As the pleasure increased, Kevin rolled on top of Bro, arching his back as he moved his hips slowly, allowing Bro to move even deeper inside of him. Bro placed his hands on Kevin's hips, synching their movement with the movement of his own hips. Being inside of Kevin was even better than he'd imagined. It wasn't a dominance thing, it wasn't about being in control. It was about being one with the person he loved.

They made love for a long time, clinging to each other as if their lives depended on it. They went once, twice, three times. They lost count after that, lost in the heat of the moment. Sweat poured off of them, their breath coming in ragged gasps.

Bro came a final time, his cry ringing off the walls. He arched his spine, throwing his back as it shot through him. Kevin dug his hands into Bro's buttocks, squeezing hard enough to leave white spots for several seconds.

Bro sighed and rolled off of Kevin, throwing himself back against his pillows. He hadn't gone for that long and that many times in a row in centuries. It felt good. He was sated, not wanting for anything. It was an unfamiliar sensation to him. Perhaps he and Kevin should do this more often.

Kevin rested his head on Bro's chest, his arm snaking around his waist. Bro reached down with one hand and stroked Kevin's hair, a smile working its way onto his face. Within a few seconds, Kevin was fast sleep, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. Ambrosius' grin grew wider. Kevin looked so adorable when he slept, like a child. Bro had spent many nights watching Kevin sleep. But never had he looked cuter than he did now, his hair all mussed and sticking up unevenly.

Ambrosius leaned down and kissed the top of Kevin's head, mindful not to wake him. He was exhausted, so Kevin had to be equally tired. Neither of them had expected their night to turn into a marathon. Thankfully, neither of them had to be up early. Looking at the clock, Bro couldn't help but laugh. It was three in the morning. They'd been making love for two hours!

The movement caused Kevin to crack an eye open. "What's going on?" he asked, his words a garbled mess.

"Nothing, sweetheart," Bro replied, his voice gentle. He wouldn't have thought it possible just that morning, but he loved Kevin even more than he already had. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay." Kevin closed his eyes and smacked his lips together, the sound oddly comforting.

"Go back to sleep," Ambrosius said, his voice tempting. He knew that his magic wouldn't work on Kevin, but it was worth a shot anyway.

"Okay. Good night."

"Good night, Kevin."

Kevin moved his head up and tightened his grip on Bro. And within a few seconds he was sleeping once more. Ambrosius reached is free arm over and turned off the light on the bedside stand. The room was immersed into darkness, save for the moonlight that pooled in through the glass door. Slowly shifting down so that his head rested on the pillow, Bro closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him.

* * *

From within the mirror, Toby watched, his heart breaking a little. Kevin had let Ambrosius, Bro – who'd tried everything he could to come between them - to top him. How could he? He'd once told Toby that he would only let someone he loved top him. So that only meant one thing: Kevin was in love with Ambrosius. How could that be?

Toby tore his gaze away from the man he had once loved and turned to face Adam. "You okay?" Adam asked, putting a comforting hand on Toby's broad shoulders.

"Yeah," Toby replied, shaking his head as if to clear it. He was with Adam now, it didn't matter what Kevin did. He was happy with Bro, anyway.

"Don't worry, Tob, we'll get out of here soon," Adam continued. "They'll see us eventually."

"Let's hope so. It's been long enough." Toby turned to Adam and took his face in his hands. "I love you," he said, staring deeply in Adam's dark brown eyes.

"I love you, too," Adam replied, covering Adam's hand with his own. "I'm so glad that you're here with me. I don't know what I'd do if I was alone."

"Me neither."

Toby pulled Adam into a kiss. It was weird. He'd had a crush on Adam in high school, but Adam had always insisted that he wasn't gay. But as soon as Toby had been happy with someone else, Adam had been unable to hide his feelings anymore. Now, they were together, and even though they were trapped in some dark dimension, it didn't really matter. They were together, that's that mattered. Sure, Toby still had feelings for Kevin, he always would, but he was happy with Adam.

"Okay, boys," a voice said from somewhere in the shadows. "Enough."

Toby broke the kiss, blushing. "Sorry," he said, slipping his arm around Adam's shoulders. "We got a little carried away."

"I see that."

The figure stepped forward from the shadows. Van eyed Toby and Adam, her face unchanged even though her hair was longer than either of them had ever seen it. Being trapped in this dimension for an indeterminate amount of time had left her with no time to cut her hair or even brush her teeth. She had aged a little during her time here as well, her once beautiful and flawless face now creased. Time seemed to move differently in this dimension than it did in the real world.

Van looked past the lovers to the window that mirrored out into the real world. Despite the darkness, she could see Ambrosius and Kevin lying in bed together, their arms around each other. "Did they see you?" she asked.

"No," Toby replied, eyes downcast. The truth was, he hadn't really tried this last time as he had the other times. He'd been so shocked by what he'd seen unfolding before him.

"It's okay. We'll get them next time," Van said, looking away. "Keep an eye on them. Let me know when they wake up."

"Sure."

With that, Van turned and walked back into the shadows. Toby watched her go, still confused as to how she'd gotten there. He held Adam closer, waiting for a sign from the real world that it was time for them to put their plan into action.

* * *

**Author's Note: My, it's been ages since I posted anything! It feels so good to be back! This is a little something I wrote back in July when I was watching DC for the first time. At the moment, this is all that I have completed, but if it goes over well with you guys, I might just finish it. ;) I intend for there to be 5 chapters that will serve as 5 "episodes" to complete a fourth "season" since we never got one. I've added some new characters, most of which are open to interpretation. The only original character that I wrote with a certain actor in mind was Alex, who, in my perfect world, would be played by the lovely Katherine Moennig (Shane from the L Word). She is known for playing anrodgynous characters and is perfect for the role of Alex. That being said, feel free to read and comment. I look forward to hearing some feedback from you guys.**

**xoxo, Gabriel**


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